Good Friday for everyone? Evangelical Church is fighting for the holiday!

Good Friday for everyone? Evangelical Church is fighting for the holiday!

Österreich - The dispute over Good Friday as a public holiday for all employees in Austria is heading. Good Friday has not been a holiday for Protestant, methodist and old Catholic Christians since 2019, unless it was applied for as a "personal holiday". In this case, however, employees had to register the holiday with the employer at least three months in advance, without claiming an additional vacation day, such as reports the small newspaper

This regulation was introduced after the European Court of Justice (ECJ) declared the previous different treatment of denominations inadmissible. In particular, the ECJ underpinned that discrimination due to religion is not sustainable, which could fundamentally change the requirements for employers in Austria. Employers could be obliged to grant all employees a holiday fee on Good Friday, regardless of their religion

Current developments and demands

The Austrian government is under pressure to issue a new regulation for Good Friday by April 19. The ÖGB vehemently demands a public holiday for everyone, while the Economics Association warns of additional costs for companies that are estimated at around 600 million euros. The Catholic Church supports the demand for preserving the Good Friday as a holiday, while the SPÖ is also behind the ÖGB, which demands an unified holiday for all employees, such as informs the press

The topic receives special attention through the decision of the ECJ. This ruled that entitlement to holiday remuneration applies not only to relatives of certain churches, but also to other employees. The existing regulation is considered to be equal, which means that the regulation of the Austrian working restriction law is fundamentally discriminatory. The Supreme Court (OGH) ultimately has to make a decision on the current regulations in accordance with the ECJ judgment.

legal situation and social importance

The legal foundations of the discussion come from a judgment of the ECJ of January 22, 2019. This was a legal dispute between CResco Investigation GmbH and Markus Achatzi, who as plaintiff called for a holiday fee for his work on Good Friday. Achatzi was not a member of one of the relevant churches. The Court of Appeal had changed the originally rejected lawsuit, and the OGH is now examining the possibly discriminatory character of the regulation, as on labor right-rheinland-pfalz.de shown

Good Friday is also of deeper social importance because it reminds of the vulnerability and inconvenience of human life. In view of the current crises, it is emphasized that a special day is necessary so as not to displace this fragility of life. The Evangelical Bishop Michael Bünker therefore calls for the Evangelical Church to be involved in decision -making for the holiday.

Finally, the question remains open how the Federal Government will react to the ECJ judgment and in what form the Good Friday could apply to all employees in Austria in the future.